The Vault
Troubleshooting guide
Why does my color keep drifting during an offset run — density and dot gain shift from start to finish?
Posted by the SuperPrinters team · 7/26/2026
Solid ink density and color/gray balance wander over the course of the run — colors go heavy or weak, or dot gain climbs — so early sheets do not match later ones even without touching the ink keys. Most often caused by ink/water balance shifting as the press and fountain warm up, or as dampening drifts during the run, among other possible causes — a full step-by-step diagnostic and fix follows below.
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